The 16- year-old girl’s family reported her missing in Richmond on Oct 1. Two days later the teenager showed up at a Charles City County business — naked, bleeding and covered in burns reeking of bleach and gasoline.

DNA matched Barnes — evidence that came back on Oct. 28.

Barnes, who had an extensive criminal history in the Richmond and Philadelphia area, had a recent July 14 charge in Richmond court, for a bomb burn threat that was dropped. Just four days before DNA would connect Barnes as a suspect in the sexual assault and abduction of the teenager, his case in Richmond was finalized before a judge. WTVR asked police why no public notification was distributed that Barnes’ was a wanted man. Police said strategically they did not want to alert Barnes that they were actively looking for him. They also wanted to protect the victim.

On Wednesday, after Freeland-Gaither’s ATM card was used at a bank in Maryland, police arrested Barnes. He is charged with attempted capital murder, abduction, forcible rape, malicious wounding, malicious wounding with a chemical, and intimate object penetration.